ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SISTERS OF THE CONGREGATION OF NOTRE DAME AT
VILLE-MARIE.
Sister Bourgeois had now lived four years in Ville-Marie, during which
time she had practised the most heroic virtues. Her zeal for the glory
of God was ever increasing, her only desire being to win souls to His
service, and to love and imitate the virtues of His divine Mother. About
this period she felt interiorly inspired to build a church in honor of
Mary, in which she might at times assemble her little pupils for
instruction, in order to effect greater good among them. Hitherto she
had literally to run after them from house to house, which unavoidably
caused a great loss of her precious time. Yet, obedient to the
inspirations of grace, she first consulted her confessor, Father Pizart,
a Jesuit, who was then the only priest in Ville-Marie. To test her
firmness he represented and exaggerated the difficulties she would have
to encounter, but her zealous determination overcame his objections, and
he approved of her design, not doubting that God would assist her to
accomplish it. Being strengthened in her resolution by his approval, and
full of confidence in God and His Holy Mother, she went directly to M.
de Maisonneuve to ask for a suitable tract of land on which to erect the
building. This he gave most willingly, as there was nothing dearer to
him than to promote devotion to the Mother of God by every means in his
power. Having unbounded confidence in Sister Bourgeois, he desired her
to select a site for the edifice, wherever she pleased, and she
accordingly took possession of the ground on which the church of
Bon-Secours stands today, being about four hundred paces from the city
of Ville-Marie. The extent of the lot was only 40 by 30 feet, which
small enclosure she judged sufficient for her purpose, but she had no
earthly means to carry out her design. However, she set to work
hopefully, and enlisted the sympathies of the colonists. Nor was she
disappointed, as all were disposed to assist; some prepared lumber,
others quarried stone, mechanics worked as their services were required,
laborers waited on the workmen, several contributed money quite
liberally, and in a few days the foundation was ready to receive the
ponderous wooden structure to be laid upon it. Everything seemed to be
progressing favorably, but it was the work of God, and had to encounter
contradiction to make it perfect. The contradiction came, too, from a
quarter the least expected, God having so permitted in order to purify
still more the heart of this holy woman. Until then, there had been no
bishop at Quebec, and M. l'Abbe de Quelus, first superior of the
Seminary of St. Sulpice at Montreal, arrived from France, at the precise
time they were putting up the building. He came as Grand-Vicar of the
Archbishop of Rouen, in whose name all spiritual jurisdiction in Canada
had hitherto been exercised. He had never heard of Sister Bourgeois, and
with three other priests of his society, came for the express purpose of
founding a _seminary_ at Ville-Marie, being the first Sulpicians who
visited New France. M. de Quelus was therefore surprised to find a young
woman, whose humility concealed her talents and her virtues, take the
lead in building a church, for which she had, as we have seen, the
permission of a subordinate ecclesiastic. In his wisdom he ordered the
work to be discontinued, and she submitted to the voice of authority
without murmur or reply, but _reflected_, nevertheless, on the
_consequences_. There was a large quantity of valuable lumber ready for
the carpenters; it was procured at great expense and labor, but must, in
consequence of the interdict, become a total loss, and rot on the
ground. Human prudence would have regarded the event as a misfortune,
and Sister Bourgeois, obedient as she was, sighed bitterly in secret.
But God, who knows how to draw good out of evil, turned the
contradiction into a work of enduring benefit. The contemplated wooden
building was forbidden, it is true, but a stone church was erected
instead, and the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame may be said
to date _from that period_. It does not appear that she had previously
thought of forming a community, but seeing her hopes thus suddenly
dashed to the ground, and feeling she could no longer do justice to the
children on the scattered plan she was compelled to adopt, she began
seriously to think of associating with herself a few companions.
Full of this idea, and convinced that in Ville-Marie she could not find
persons suitable for teachers, she decided on going back to France, to
induce the externs of Troyes, her native city, to form a corps of
teachers for Canada. She foresaw her return would be considered unwise
and ill-timed, but a voice within that would not be silenced, told her
that God required her to return. According to the wisdom of the world,
it did look badly for a single woman, without means or credit, to
recross the ocean for the purpose of inducing others to imitate her wise
folly, to renounce all things and sacrifice the peace and security of
home for the dangers of a wild, thinly-settled country. The citizens of
Troyes knew well that Canadian colonists were the constant prey of
relentless savages, being murdered in cold blood, not only on the island
of Montreal, but frequently at their own doors. Yet Sister Bourgeois,
animated by the Holy Spirit, listened only to the voice of God, as did
the Apostles of old, and as did also the holy woman who followed in
their track. She left Ville-Marie with a strong presentiment of success.
Perhaps she had also a prophetic view of what would follow. At least one
is led to think so, by the positive assurance she gave to a confidential
friend before her departure, that she would be absent _one year_, which
prediction was literally verified, as she left Montreal, September,
1658, and returned in safety with her new companions September, 1659. If
the saintly woman herself displayed courage and zeal in undertaking the
return voyage, no less heroism was evinced by those who followed her to
Canada. It is always a matter of surprise to the worldly-minded, to see
young girls courageously sever the ties of kindred and country, and
attach themselves to one who possesses nothing but confidence in God,
and who promises nothing in the future but humiliations, pain and labor
to her followers. Such were the inducements held out by Margaret
Bourgeois to those she succeeded in bringing to the New World, and such
were the Christian heroines who associated themselves to this great work
of charity. Four young girls accompanied her on the first recruiting
voyage, whose names deserve to be transmitted to posterity. They were
Mlles. Crolo, Raisin, Fyoux, and Chatel. The title of Sister was not
given them for many years after, but in 1671 they received letters
patent authorizing them to form a religious community. We cannot better
describe the rise and progress of the Sisters of the Congregation than
by giving extracts from the manuscripts of Sister Bourgeois. She says:
"In 1658, five years after my first arrival in Canada, I felt inspired
to return to France for help. It happened in this way: Mlle. Mance had
broken her arm, and undergone an unsuccessful operation. It continued so
painful, that she was obliged to go to France to have it properly
treated, having also matters to arrange for her hospital. As she could
not travel without a companion--being an invalid--I offered my services,
which were accepted, but I had another object in view, namely, to
procure capable young persons to teach my school. Mlle. Mance was well
pleased that I should accompany her, and, as our simple preparations
were easily made, we left Montreal on the Feast of St. Michael, Sept.
29, 1658. Having been the sacristan of the parish church, I requested M.
Galimier, a priest of the seminary, to keep matters so arranged that I
could resume the pious duty on my return. I made the request before
starting for Europe, and he promised that my desire should be complied
with, provided I was not absent longer than a year. I made the promise
partly in jest, yet I Divine Providence ordained that I should return
safely on the next Feast of St. Michael. The crew of the vessel in which
we embarked numbered but six men, and were all Protestants, Mlle. Mance
and myself being the only Catholics on board. We scarcely ever went on
deck, preferring to remain quietly in the cabin allotted to us, and
perform our devotions. The crew, at times, _sang their prayers_ too
loudly for the comfort of an invalid, and Mlle. Mance was reluctantly
obliged to complain to the captain. After that the singing of the
prayers ceased, and we were treated with marked attention and respect.
We had a prosperous voyage over the blue sea, and cast anchor at La
Rochelle, during the Christmas holidays. Mlle. Mance went immediately to
La Fleche, to get her arm reset, in that famous hospital, and hoped to
bring back with her, on her return, a few of the Sisters, to assist in
the management of the hospital she had established at Ville-Marie. I was
delighted to have the consolation of again seeing M. de la Dauversiere,
that great servant of Mary, and noble protector of Montreal, who resided
at La Fleche, of which place he was Lieutenant-General. We remained
there a few days, and then set out for Paris. I had become in a manner
necessary to Mlle. Mance, as she was not able to dress without
assistance, and she willingly defrayed my expenses while we resided with
her sister during our stay in Paris. M. Olier, superior of St. Sulpice,
died two years before our arrival, and as she had great faith in his
intercession, she requested the new superior to allow her to pray at the
tomb of the deceased. She was refused the favor _then_, but was directed
to call on the following Sunday, which she did not fail to do,
accompanied by me. It gave us inexpressible joy to pray by the tomb of
the dead saint, and to see the splendid chapel of St. Sulpice. But Mlle.
Mance had more reason to rejoice than I, for, while kneeling in prayer,
she suddenly recovered the use of her crippled arm, and was restored to
perfect health, God being pleased to reward her _great_ faith by a
_greater_ miracle. I went to Troyes on business of my own for a few
days, leaving her to continue a novena alone. She wrote to me with her
formerly withered hand, thereby proving beyond doubt that she was cured.
The physicians declared that human science was useless in her case, and
that the restoration of her arm was an undeniable miracle. During my
stay at Troyes, I lodged with the religieuses of the Congregation, who
entertained me with much kindness and charity. I explained to them my
desire of procuring a few young girls, who would be willing to accompany
me as teachers to Ville-Marie, and also that I would be glad to get one
or two healthy persons to attend to our domestic work. My purpose was
highly approved of by them, but I was assured it would be difficult to
carry it into execution. Nor could I have succeeded without the special
help of Divine Providence, in which I implicitly trusted, and my hope
was never in vain. As soon as the purpose of my visit was known in
Troyes, three of my old companions at once offered their services. These
were Sisters Crolo, Chatel, and Raisin. The first named had asked to
accompany me in 1652. M. Chatel, the father of the second, was Notary
Apostolic, and on hearing my proposal to take his daughter to Canada (at
her own desire), asked how we intended to earn a living in the New
World. I replied that M. de Maisonneuve had given us a good _stable_ for
a dwelling, that it was large, and would suit our purpose, and showed
him the contract. 'That is all very well,' he said, 'but what are you
going to _subsist_ on?' The only answer I could make was, that we should
labor faithfully in the school, and that I could promise nothing to my
companions, but pain of mind and body, with a mess of pottage. My reply
brought tears to his eyes, for though he loved his daughter dearly, he
loved religious sacrifices better. He did not give me a decisive answer
for a few days, however, preferring to act slowly, and consult his
friends on the matter. They advised him to place no obstacle to the work
of God, as his daughter freely offered herself for the mission, and so
the truly Christian father agreed to let her go. He courageously signed,
in her presence, the contract by which he resigned the earthly future of
his beloved child to the care of Margaret Bourgeois, a similar contract
being drawn up for Sister Crolo."
It is to be regretted that these contract papers have not been preserved
in the archives of the community. As poor as Sister Bourgeois was, she
did not wish to receive _money_ with either party, but M. Chatel would
not permit his daughter to depart without providing her an abundant
supply of clothing, and about two hundred livres in specie. He also gave
her letters of credit, addressed to persons of distinction, who resided
in the several places through which she must pass, so that, if she
wished to return to Troyes, she might be able to procure the necessary
funds. As to Sister Raisin, she was obliged to go to Paris to get her
father's consent, flattering herself it would be easily obtained.
Astonished at the zealous courage of these Christian heroines, a young
student of Troyes determined to leave all for Christ, and go with them
to Canada to teach the boys, as the Sisters intended to teach none but
girls. He was attacked by a violent hemorrhage during the voyage, and
died in the Sisters' house, two years after his arrival. He was known as
Brother Louis, but was not the Brother Louis who transacted business for
Sister Bourgeois in France at a later period.
To return again to the manuscript. She says: "I and my three companions
started from Troyes to Paris in an old worn-out conveyance, that we
hired for our own use, but had not gone far before we were compelled to
stop, as the owners of the _public_ carriages, who controlled the road,
would not permit a private conveyance like ours to interfere with their
traffic. We were therefore obliged to return to Troyes, where M. Chatel
obtained for us permission to continue the journey. As we had to travel
on Sunday, we requested the driver to stop at some village where we
could assist at Mass. This he very disobligingly refused to do. We
passed before a church pretty soon, however, and one of the wheels
breaking, he stopped against his will, to mend it, and we assisted at
the Holy Sacrifice while he worked at the broken wheel. On our arrival
in Paris, M. Raisin would not permit his daughter to go to Canada, and
stubbornly refused to see her; nor had she the courage to present
herself before him. She could only prevail through the intercession of
friends, and in this way was successful, as he finally gave his consent,
a contract being ratified in her case also. I could not prevent his
offering one thousand livres for her voyage, and, as I feared to
disoblige him by a refusal, I compromised, and accepted one hundred
crowns. However, this did not satisfy him, and he legally arranged to
pay to the community an annuity of thirty-five livres, being the
interest of the seven hundred livres I refused to accept. After his
death, his son, a member of the Legislative Assembly, added to this an
annuity of three hundred livres, interest on six thousand, which was
donated for three yearly Masses, for the repose of his father's soul,
which Masses are celebrated to this day on the 22d, 23d, and 24th of
April; so charitable were these gentlemen to the embryo Congregation. In
Paris we received an addition to our number, M. Blondel giving one of
his nieces as a teacher for Ville-Marie. This young lady was the first
person admitted to our community in 1659, and was named Sister St.
Claire. There were now assembled eighteen young girls for the return
voyage, four of whom were to remain at Quebec, the rest being bound for
Montreal. We again hired wagons to make the journey from Paris to La
Rochelle, and met with the same mishap as at Troyes, but finally arrived
at our destination, where I had the happiness once more to meet Mlle.
Mance, who was bringing with her three religieuses for the hospital of
Montreal. On the eve of embarkation an obstacle quite unexpectedly
presented itself. I had supposed that my companions and myself were to
be taken on board gratuitously, such certainly being the intention of M.
de Maisonneuve, the master of the ship had heard nothing of such an
arrangement, however; at least he said so, and refused to take us,
unless each one paid 175 livres for her passage, besides furnishing
provisions, and as we had no money, we were on the point of being left
behind. I fortunately thought of drawing a double letter of exchange on
M. Raisin, which was accepted. We finally set sail and found that the
commander, notwithstanding the trouble he had given us, was a very
honest man. The vessel was very large and convenient, but had served for
a floating hospital during the war, and the very timbers of it were
infected with disease. Perhaps this was not the only cause of sickness,
as we had a large number of passengers, among whom were two priests, M.
le Maitre, and M. Vignal, both bound for the Montreal seminary. These
holy men were afterwards murdered by the Indians, in cold blood. We took
care to have the priests near us during the voyage, as pestilence soon
broke out. Mlle. Mance and her religieuses were the first attacked, but
after a few days several of the secular girls succumbed. Eight persons
died of the plague, and would have been thrown into the sea, without the
decency of a shroud, but for the thoughtful exertions of M. le Maitre,
who constructed rough coffins on the spot, and took the precaution to
throw overboard everything belonging to the dead. A young mother among
the stricken left a nursing infant, which, with its father, was
prostrated by the pestilence. The babe's life was despaired of, as no
one was willing to take charge of it, and many advised that it be thrown
into the sea alive. The cruel suggestion aroused my sympathy, and I
offered to take the infant myself, much against the will of my
companions, who were all sick. However, I succeeded in getting the
little waif in my keeping. When we arrived in Quebec, its cries and
horrible appearance caused us much annoyance, and as I had business to
transact in Quebec, I was obliged to return it to the father, who was
then well, promising to reclaim it before setting out for Montreal. That
September, the cold season set in with unusual rigor, and the crew built
fires in cabins along the shore, to keep themselves from freezing, and
this man, with the babe in his arms, lying down among them, the poor
little martyr rolled into the embers and was shockingly burned. However,
when we arrived at Montreal it grew better, and in consequence of losing
its mother so young, I procured a nurse to supply it with natural
nourishment; a few days after it sickened, died, and went to rest in the
bosom of God. We arrived at Montreal on the Feast of St. Michael, being
exactly one year, day for day, and hour for hour, from the time of our
departure."
Sister Bourgeois and her companions immediately took possession of the
stable which was given for school purposes by M. de Maisonneuve the
previous year. It was built of stone, about twenty-five feet square, and
had been for a long time a shelter for all kinds of animals. She had a
chimney built on the floor prepared for the school-room, the Sisters
cooking and eating there, when school was dismissed. The loft of the
stable served for a dovecot and granary, and was reached by an outside
ladder. This she arranged as a dormitory and a community-room. All
things being now in working order, they began to receive boarders and
day-pupils. One of the latter, Marie Barbier, who was afterwards called
in religion Sister Mary of the Assumption, succeeded Sister Bourgeois as
superior of the Congregation, and was the first member received in
Ville-Marie. The school was formally opened on the Feast of St.
Catherine, Nov. 25, 1659, and a secular society for young ladies was put
in operation on the Feast of the Visitation the following year. This
society has never been discontinued, and exists still in almost
primitive fervor. In a short time the number of boarders and day-pupils
became so considerable, that it was necessary to purchase a small house,
in the vicinity of the lucky stable, from a man named St. Ange. As
Sister Bourgeois burned with zeal to advance the glory of God in the New
World, in addition to the cares inseparable from governing a young
community, she undertook another labor of love, which eventually caused
her the most bitter sorrow. We refer to the manuscripts: "Several young
girls accompanied us from France, who were taken from the hospitals, and
sent at the King's expense to assist in the colonization of Ville-Marie.
While we were repairing the little house we purchased from St. Ange,
another batch of these girls arrived, and as I knew they were intended
to become mothers of families, I hastened to meet them as soon as they
should land, in order to bring them to our new house, and detain them a
short time, for instruction." The Sisters (we may as well so name them
at once) had for some time importuned Sister Bourgeois to add another
story to their dwelling, as it did not afford accommodation for both
Sisters and pupils; but she objected on account of her love of poverty,
humility, and mortification. However, the arrival of the strangers
induced her to comply, and her hasty compliance was a source of lifelong
regret, because, as she affirmed, she did not sufficiently consult the
will of God and her ecclesiastical superior. In fact she never forgave
herself this unintentional error of judgment, as she called it, and
attributed to it all the accidents that subsequently befell her
community.